Other communities inspired by Detroit's Homecoming events

Inspired by Detroit Homecoming's focus on luring investment from expats, other communities are getting in on the game.

Organizers of recent events in Erie, Pa., and Flint inspired by Detroit Homecoming are left contemplating the expat-centric gathering's dual purpose as a community-builder and an investment opportunity. Cleveland, Baltimore and Newark, N.J., are also considering their own events and have consulted with Detroit Homecoming officials, Crain's Group Publisher and Detroit Homecoming Director Mary Kramer said.

Flint held its first homecoming Aug. 16-17, with building blocks provided by the three-year-old Detroit Homecoming. Detroit, the original home of the networking event for engaging former residents, will play host for the fourth annual event Sept. 13-15 at Michigan Central Station and other spots around the city.

On the heels of Flint's first foray into homecoming, which drew 55-60 expats, Cheryl DeFrain, director of operations and planning for the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce, said they are still waiting for overall investment numbers to come in. But the event did receive positive feedback from expats and local businesses, she said.

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Cheryl DeFrain: Still waiting for overall numbers.

"We feel that for our first homecoming, this was more than what we expected and it was wonderful," DeFrain said.

Detroit's homecoming program, produced by Crain's Detroit Business, has drawn tens of millions of dollars of investment to the city; 200 expats attended last year, including former Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer, who, with his wife Connie, are opening a philanthropy office in the city to make grants focused on reducing intergenerational poverty.

Flint first considered the idea of emulating Detroit's program in 2015. After meeting with Detroit event leaders to see how homecoming worked and if Flint could adapt it to its own audience, the Flint chamber of commerce met with interested local organizations, came up with a viable business plan and decided to go for it.

"That was the discussion: 'Can we do the same thing and have a like response for the Flint area? We're not Detroit, but is this feasible in our area?' Because in a way there are a lot of similarities between Flint and Detroit," DeFrain said.

DeFrain and a colleague attended Detroit Homecoming in 2016 to get a more immersive experience. They were particularly impressed by Detroit's community tours, she said. The event offers a variety of tours of land and businesses to show expats what the city has to offer and what it's missing — its "gaps," she said. She wanted to show Flint expats their own city's gaps, and also the enormous potential the city had to offer.

"There was such an excitement (at Detroit Homecoming)," DeFrain said. "Mayor (Mike) Duggan talked about the communities and what it used to be and what it is now and what it can be, and you could just feel an excitement from the expats."

Flint's event featured panels, a community tour, pitches from local projects and speakers including Kramer, General Motors Co. executive Mark Reuss and Lt. Gov. Brian Calley. And now, in its wake, Flint's leaders are "sitting down and evaluating" whether they'll host another next year, DeFrain said.

By contrast, Erie, Pa., held its second homecoming Aug. 24 and planning is already underway for a more substantial, investment-focused turn in 2018, said Jake Rouch, vice president of economic development for the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership.

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Jake Rouch: Planning to draw expats to invest.

Erie is nearly 300 miles from Detroit. But a business contact between the two cities drew them together and recommended the Pennsylvania city dream up an event to "help change the brand of Erie," Rouch said.

"But also get them reconnected to the community so they could share their expertise and play a role in its revitalization," he said.

Erie was inspired by the original, but its homecoming isn't as similar to Detroit's as Flint's is — yet. The past two years, Erie's chamber of commerce has brought 25-50 expats back to reconnect and speak about their paths to success. For next year, the organizers are hunting for more investors and executives to engage. They're planning to draw expats back to the city with opportunities to invest in promising startups, the regeneration of the city's downtown core and possibilities for satellite or branch locations, Rouch said.

"Going forward, we'll evolve into a much closer model to what (Detroit has), targeting the higher net-worth individuals to come back and make a higher investment," he said.

The event's evolution is based on what Erie has seen out of Detroit, he added.

"I think that message of optimism and belief in the future, for us, was very important to hear," Rouch said.

Cleveland is also planning to host a homecoming event inspired by Detroit Sept. 26-28, 2018, but Crain's Cleveland Business Publisher and Editor Elizabeth McIntyre declined to comment further.